Liposuction vs. tummy tuck - what's the difference?

Liposuction will only address the subcutaneous fat and has no effect on the skin or underlying muscle.  With childbirth, the abdominal muscles have been stretched apart (rectus diastasis) causing a loss of shape in your waiste.  Pregnancy can also cause permanent stretch marks which cannot be removed... more

A tummy tuck works on 3 different areas; the skin (tightening), the fat (removal)and the muscle (tightening). Liposuction focuses mostly just on the fat (removal).   If there is loose skin that has been stretched from pregnancy, which is commonly the case, fat removal... more

Liposuction is the removal fat from the layer of tissue between the skin and muscle. Fat can be removed from just about anywhere on the body. An adult has a finite number of fat cells and once they are removed, the remaining fat cells may increase in size but do not replicate. In patients under the age of... more

The problems of pregnancy include: 1. Excess skin and stretch marks. 2. New Areas of fat in the lower abdomen, hips and thighs. 3. Misshapen belly button 4. Stretching and widening of the muscles - diastasis recti/ventral hernia/ umbilical hernia. Liposuction will treat #2/ Full Tummy Tuck will treat #1, #2,... more

Any woman who utters :"I've had 3 kids and definitely need some help in my stomach area" BY DEFINITION would benefit from an Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck) or more accurately a MOMMY MAKEOVER set of procedures to get you your "pre-baby look" only BETTER. Let me explain. There is NO... more

Pregnancy really challenges a woman's abdomen, potentially stretching the abdominal wall, deforming the belly button, layering extra fat in inconvenient places and creating stretch marks.  Many women who consult on which procedure to restore their bellies are not clear on what each procedure does. ... more

Your question is something I address several times a week in consultations.  Usually, due to post-pregnancy changes (stretch marks, laxity/excess skin, bulging, and separation of six-pack muscles), a tummy tuck is needed.  Liposuction can be used as an adjuctive procedure for instance to contour... more

Hi, There are key differences between liposuction and tummy tuck.  Liposuction involves using a small cannula to remove fat.  No skin is removed and any looseness of underlying muscles is not addressed.  To get a good result after liposuction, it's imperative that a patient doesn't have a large... more

Liposuction is indicated for patients who are at or close to ideal weight and have excess fat under the abdominal skin with normal skin tone. Liposuction will remove majority of the fat cells. The skin, having normal elasticity, will retract down with time. With pregnancy, the skin typically stretches and... more

Many patients need both a tummy tuck and liposuction, but for different reasons.  A tummy tuck will remove the extra skin that may have become stretched out (including the many of the stretch marks -- if you are so "lucky"), and liposuction is great for debulking areas that may have become... more